Mesoscopic cavity-QED: the physics behind off-resonant cavity excitation by a single quantum dot
Martin Winger, Thomas Volz, Guillaume Tarel, S. Portolan, A. Badolato, Kevin J. Hennessy, Evelyn L. Hu, A. Beveratos, Jonathan James Finley, Vincenzo Savona, Ataç İmamoğlu
Cavity quantum-electrodynamics experiments using an atom coupled to a single radiation-field mode have played a central role in testing foundations of quantum mechanics, thus motivating solid-state implementations using single quantum dots coupled to monolithic nano-cavities. In stark contrast to their atom based counterparts, the latter experiments revealed strong cavity emission, even when the quantum dot is far off resonance. Here we present experimental and theoretical results demonstrating that this effect arises from the mesoscopic nature of quantum dot confinement, ensuring the presence of a quasi-continuum of transitions between excited quantum dot states that are enhanced by the cavity mode. Our model fully explains photon correlation measurements demonstrating that photons emitted at the cavity frequency are essentially uncorrelated with each other even though they are generated by a single quantum dot.
Cavity quantum-electrodynamics experiments using an atom coupled to a single radiation-field mode have played a central role in testing foundations of quantum mechanics, thus motivating solid-state implementations using single quantum dots coupled to monolithic nano-cavities. In stark contrast to their atom based counterparts, the latter experiments revealed strong cavity emission, even when the quantum dot is far off resonance. Here we present experimental and theoretical results demonstrating that this effect arises from the mesoscopic nature of quantum dot confinement, ensuring the presence of a quasi-continuum of transitions between excited quantum dot states that are enhanced by the cavity mode. Our model fully explains photon correlation measurements demonstrating that photons emitted at the cavity frequency are essentially uncorrelated with each other even though they are generated by a single quantum dot.
A single quantum dot embedded in a photonic crystal defect cavity allows for the investigation of cavity quantum electrodynamics effects in a solid-state environment. We present experiments demonstrating the quantum nature of this fundamental system in the strong coupling regime. Photon correlation measurements are used to characterize the fundamental properties of this unique system: through these experiments, we identify an unexpected, efficient sustaining mechanism that ensures strong cavity emission and is quantum correlated with the exciton resonance, even when all the quantum dot resonances are far detuned from the cavity mode.
In a coupled quantum-dot-nanocavity system, the photoluminescence from an off-resonance cavity mode exhibits strong quantum correlations with the quantum-dot transitions, even though its autocorrelation function is classical. Using new pump-power dependent photon-correlation measurements, we demonstrate that this seemingly contradictory observation that has so far defied an explanation stems from cascaded cavity photon emission in transitions between excited multiexciton states. The mesoscopic nature of quantum-dot confinement ensures the presence of a quasicontinuum of excitonic transitions, part of which overlaps with the cavity resonance.
Starting with early experiments about lifetimes of excited atoms near metallic boundaries, I review the evolution of Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics in the microwave and in the optical domains. The coherent coupling of single atoms with photons in high-Q cavities has led to the demonstration of fundamental quantum effects in light-matter interaction processes and to the generation of micromasers and microlasers emitting radiation with non-classical properties. It has made possible the development of single photon light sources and efficient detectors of single atoms as well as the implementation of quantum information and communication procedures in which atoms and photons play the roles of quantum bits. Mesoscopic superpositions of field states have been generated by entangling single atoms to fields made of many photons and the decoherence of these states has been studied, shedding new light on the quantum to classical boundary. Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics has also led recently to the quantum non-demolition counting of photons in a cavity, opening new perspectives for studying non-classical states of radiation. These atomic physics experiments are now extended - with promising applications in perspective - to the study of solid-state devices with microcavities built on substrates and coupled to artificial atoms such as quantum dots or superconducting junctions.
Next-generation information technology is expected to rely on discrete two-state quantum systems that can deterministically emit single photons. Quantum dots are mesoscopic (~10,000 atoms large) semiconductor islands grown in a host crystal of larger band-gap that make well-defined two-level quantum systems and are very attractive due to stability, record coherence times, and the possibility of integrating them into larger structures, such as optical microcavities. This work presents experimental progress towards understanding the coherent optical processes that occur in single quantum dots, particularly such phenomena that might be one day utilized for quantum communication applications. High resolution low temperature optical spectroscopy is used in conjunction with first order (amplitude) and second-order (intensity) correlation measurements of the emitted field. A novel technique is introduced that is capable of harvesting the fluorescence of single dots at the same frequency as the laser, previously impossible due to insurmountable scattering. This technique enables the observation, for the first time, of single quantum dot resonance fluorescence, in both the weak and strong excitation regimes, which forms the basis for deterministic generation of single photons. Guided by the rich theoretical description available from quantum optics with atoms we obtain insight into the complex dynamics of this driven system. Quantum dots confined to novel optical microcavities were further investigated using micro photoluminescence. An optical microcavity properly coupled to a two-level system can profoundly modify its emission characteristics via quantum electrodynamical effects, which are highly attractive for single photon sources. The all-epitaxial structures we probe are distinguished by a bulk morphology that overcomes the fragility problems of existing approaches, and provides high quality factors as well as small mode volumes. Lasing is obtained with larger strucutres. Additionally, isolation of individual dots is further realized in smaller cavities and the Purcell effect observed in time-resolved photon counting experiments.
A single atom in a cavity is the model system of cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED). The strong coupling regime between the atom and cavity-confined photon corresponds to the reversible exchange of energy between the two modes, and underpins a wide range of CQED phenomena with applications in quantum information science, including for example as quantum logic gates and as sources of entangled states. An important advance was achieved recently when strong coupling between excitons and cavity photons was reported for the first time for localized quantum dots (QDs) in micron-size solid state cavities. This has significance in terms of scalability and integration with other optical devices, and could lead to the emergence of "quantum optics on a chip" technology. However the results presented so far for quantum dots are in the linear regime, corresponding to coupling to the vacuum field (vacuum Rabi splitting); they are not a true QED effect and can equally well be described by classical physics as the coupling between two oscillators. In this paper, we present evidence for a purely quantum phenomenon for the QD/cavity photon system, namely the increase in splitting of the levels when the mean number of photons in the cavity is increased. This corresponds to non-linearities on the single-photon scale: the presence of a single excitation in the cavity changes the level structure, affecting the emission energies for a second photon. Such results are a first step in demonstrating the promise of quantum dots for CQED applications.
The interaction of light with matter is at the heart of quantum optics, which itself enables insight into the fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics. First experimental access to this research field has been realized by coupling atoms to light. Here, the transition between discrete energy states of the atom is associated with the absorption and emission of a photon, a single quantum of the electromagnetic field. As a central aspect of quantum optics, the light-emitter interaction can be significantly enhanced by placing the emitter in optical cavity that is on resonance with the emitter. In recent years, this has led to a rapidly evolving research field known as cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED). In CQED two different regimes are distinguished: the strong and the weak coupling regimes. In the strong coupling regime, the emitted photon is reflected from the cavity mirrors and eventually reabsorbed by the emitter. In contrast, the weak coupling regime describes the irreversible emission, where the photon leaks out of the cavity before it can be reabsorbed. Both the weak and strong coupling regimes enabled fundamental experiments for a better understanding of quantum optical phenomena. \n \n \n \nCQED grants access to the quantum world and hence offers potentially revolutionizing applications, particularly in the field of quantum information processing. A central aspect for the successful implementation of quantum applications is the system's scalability. Unfortunately, placing atoms deterministically inside a cavity remains technologically elaborate and hence minimizes the prospect of scaling a atom-CQED system. \n \nA possibility to address this issue is to implement CQED in the solid state, where sophisticated fabrication strategies allow miniaturization and scalability of the system. Particularly the development of self-assembled quantum dots (QD) in semiconductors represent a promising route. QDs can be considered as artificial atoms that mimic the atomic two-level system. These structures interact strongly with light and therefore have the potential for replacing atoms in CQED. As a central advantage, QDs are naturally trapped, which greatly simplifies the deterministic incorporation into the cavity. \n \nIn recent years, many efforts have been made to couple self-assembled QDs to microcavities. Generally, the successful implementation of CQED requires a cavity with a high quality factor Q and a low mode volume. In a majority of the approaches, the high Q/small mode volume cavities were monolithically defined around the QD, embedding the QD at a fixed position inside the cavity. Both the weak and strong coupling regimes have been reached with these systems. However, for future applications they suffer from several disadvantages. The fixed position of the QD inside the cavity minimizes the prospects for spectral tunability and spatial positioning the QD inside the cavity. Furthermore, prospects for further increasing of the cavity Q-factor and minimization of the mode volume remain limited in these systems. \n \nIn this thesis the mentioned disadvantages are addressed by developing a fully tunable miniaturized Fabry-Pérot microcavity with low mode volume. The design enables both spatial positioning of the emitter inside the cavity and spectral tunability. Successful coupling of a single QD to the microcavity is demonstrated including the strong coupling regime. Further a new approach to decrease the cavity mode volume is presented, where we demonstrate weak coupling is achieved